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The Mansion House, Dublin

The Mansion House, Dublin

Mansion House is one of the finest residences in Dublin and is worth a visit on your tours of Ireland.

It was constructed between the years 1705 and 1710 for Sir Joshua Dawson , from whom the street where the house is situated gets its name.

But Dawson soon ran into financial difficulty , and in 1715 he sold the building to Dublin Corporation.

Since then it has been the official residence of the Lord Mayor of the city.

It originally had a red brick facade , but this has long been plastered and painted over.

In the Victorian period , the original panels with figures were replaced by a balustrade , and other features were added such as a new portico and new windows.

One of the most distinctive features of the house is the splendid stained glass window on the staircase , dating to the year 1900.

Attached to the house at the rear is the Round Room , designed and constructed hurriedly in 1821 for the visit of King George IV , who was honoured with a ball and banquet there.

In a later generation the Mansion House served quite a different function , it being the venue for the assembly of the first Dail Eireann , or independent Irish parliament.

Following on the General Election of 1918 , in which the Republicans gained a huge majority , 36 of their 73 elected representatives were arrested by the British authorities , and several more became fugitives , but the remaining 29 came together in the Mansion House on January 21 , 1919 , in order to declare Ireland a free nation. A President and various Ministers where appointed by the Dail , a programme of radical and egalitarian policies was adopted , and steps were taken to establish a new legal system. The British authorities quickly moved against the Dail , and the War of Independence followed.